Eric Leman

Leman was given his first professional contract by Flandria in 1968. He showed great promise as a sprinter, winning Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne and a stage of the Tour de France in his debut season.

In the next year’s Tour of Flanders, Leman found himself in a chase group with Rik Van Looy. They worked together for more than 40km to try to reel in the leaders. Although they were unsuccessful (Leman finished in 22nd place), in a post-race interview Van Looy was full of praise for the youngster calling him a “real cyclist”.

The 1970 Tour of Flanders saw a group of three go clear of the bunch 8km from the finish - two established stars, Merckx and Godefroot, and the 23-year-old Leman. In a fierce sprint for the line, Leman held them both off to claim victory in what was the first Belgian clean sweep in years.

Leman would go on the win the Tour of Flanders on two more occasions. In 1973 at the age of just 27, he joined fellow Belgian Achiel Buysse and Italian Fiorenzi Magni as the only three time winners. Only two other cyclists have since gained entry to this exclusive club, the 32-year-old Johan Museeuw equalled their hat-trick in 1998, and Tom Boonen took his third Ronde in 2012, at 31 years of age.